


Of Blood and Blades

by Androgyninja



Series: ATLA Southern Water Tribe Fics [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bloodbender Katara (Avatar), Bloodbending (Avatar), Brutal Murder, Firebending & Firebenders, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 10:53:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30071151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Androgyninja/pseuds/Androgyninja
Summary: In a world where Zuko was never banished and the Fire Nation decided to deal with the Southern Water Tribe like they did the Air Nomads, only this time they take all their benders and imprison them.Several years later, two figures break into the Fire Palace.Blood paints the walls by the time they leave.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Series: ATLA Southern Water Tribe Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034742
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	Of Blood and Blades

The moon was full.

  
Nights like these were always enjoyed by those who lived in the palace. A peaceful moment in a time of war.

  
The only sound one would hear was the soft ruffling of leaves as a gentle wind blew threw them.

  
And perhaps, if they were listening closely, the near silent steps of two black clad figures.

  
But no one was listening closely tonight.

  
The first set of guards don’t see them, and soon don’t see anything at all.

  
Or ever again.

  
Their bodies are moved into the bushes, not a single drop of blood staining the cobblestone pathway. It is all carefully hidden, nothing out of place.

  
The figures keep moving.

  
The second set of guards manage to see them, but they aren’t fast enough to let out a warning to the others. They don’t even manage to draw their swords.

  
Getting into the palace is easy when you can make a key out of ice. The guards waiting in the entry hall put up a fight, but it is quiet and contained.

  
The larger of the two figures slammed his club down on the skull of a man, releasing his boomerang to slit the throat of another. The smaller lashed out with spears made of ice, movements deceptively languid.

  
The guards fall slower than the first two groups, but they do fall.

  
There wasn’t time to hide the bodies anymore, so the siblings forgo stealth and focus on speed. They didn’t have time to fight the entirety of the Imperial Guard, nor was it their goal.

  
When the two of them reach the southern wing of the palace, they separate. One heads for the princess, the other, the prince.

  
The doors to their room are ornate and heavy, and the guards see them coming. Skilled Firebenders, hand picked to watch over the children of the Fire lord. They are skilled, but not skilled enough.

  
The noise wakes the two royals from their slumber however, and then the _real_ fight begins.

  
Azula is just as put together as she always is, even during an unexpected attack in the dead of night. She managed to look haughty in a nightgown, her hair spilling over her shoulders.

  
“Only a _fool_ would attack the princess in her own palace.” Azula sneered, a wave of blue fire following the remark.

  
Katara dodged the flames, sending a wave of ice that was promptly melted.

  
“A Waterbender, huh? Did the North Pole finally decide to stop hiding behind their walls?” Azula’s next attack is larger, paying no mind to the very flammable bed or wooden furniture. “Or perhaps we missed one in the   
South.”

  
A sharp blade impaled itself in the wall, exactly where the Firebender’s throat had been seconds before.

  
It is a dance between the two of them, movements practiced and sharp, one misstep deadly, and yet it was beautiful all the same.

  
Like a poisonous flower luring its prey closer with tantalising alure.

They both fire off simultaneous attacks, neither fully reaching their mark.

  
Katara’s left leg is slightly singled, and Azula has a shallow cut on her ribs.

  
The princess is on the attack again, sending short blasts in an attempt to wear the other out. Her aim is precise, but her opponent is fast, and when she can’t dodge, merely blocks the flames with the water from her pouch.

  
Azula smirked. “Let’s see you dodge _this_.”

  
The wave of fire she forms is enormous, and engulfed nearly the entire room. There was nowhere to dodge, and the water in the pouch wouldn’t be enough to block it.

  
And yet when the flames recede, Katara still stands.

  
There is a rapidly melting wall of ice around her, and the floor is stained red.

  
Azula knows it is not her blood, and that it’s not that of her opponent either.

  
It is only when she looks at the guards who were posted outside her room does she understand.

  
Their bodies were completely drained-armour much too large for the skin and bones that remained. It was a gruesome picture, and startled the princess just enough for Katara to launch several ice daggers into her skin.

  
Only three managed to land, but they dug deep, and with another twist of Katara’s hand, spikes appear within the shards themselves, impaling the insides of Azula wounds.

  
The Firebender is still deadly, one hand coming up to cauterize her wounds while the other extends to keep her opponent at bay.

  
But she is injured, and unprepared, and Katara is no more merciful to the Fire Nation princess than the Fire Nation ever was to her.

  
Azula dies impaled to her bedroom wall, an ominous red puddle in a perfect circle around her.

  
At the other end of the hall, Sokka and Zuko have clashed.

  
The prince was not able to draw his sword before the attack, and so it is flame against blade. A bender against a strategist.

  
Zuko is no more mindful of his belongings than Azula was, setting them ablaze without hesitation.

  
Sokka batted aside the flames with his club, dodging when it was too large to block and moving throughout the room with ease.

  
Smoke filled the room, making the eyes of both parties water and forcing them to squint. Sokka had closed the door as soon as he’d entered, trapping both of them further.

  
It isn’t long before the entire room is covered in flames, fire licking the ceiling and the prince forces his opponent into a corner with precise attacks.

  
“It’s over.” Zuko said, his voice low and triumphant.

  
Sokka’s smile is all teeth, as he flung out his boomerang, the weapon going high into the air and slicing the chain that held the chandelier above them.

  
Zuko realises what’s going on, but its too late to dodge completely. His legs are crushed by the metal ring, screws and rigid sides digging into his flesh.

  
He lashes out with his fire desperately, hoping to at the very least incapacitate his enemy alongside with him.

  
But he is blinded, and trapped and Sokka is no more merciful to the Fire Nation Prince than the Fire Nation ever was to him.

  
Zuko dies with blood pouring out of his slit throat, a perfect circle carved into the ground around him.

  
  


The palace is on high alert now, but none of the guards stand a chance against the duo. It is a quick, and dirty massacre, red staining the walls and floor.

  
They find Ozai in the throne room.

  
It is an ornate and heavily decorated hall, its seat of power higher than the rest of the ground. A position of strength, a _threat_ and a reminder to all those who entered who held the power.

  
The Fire Lord rose to his feet, cloak flaring around him imposingly as the two parties stared each other down.

  
All the ministers and servants scurried away, unwilling to get in the middle of the confrontation that was bound to occur.

  
Flames lick Ozai’s palms as he sneers. “You dare-”

  
Katara extends her hands and _twists_ , the motions cutting off whatever the Firebender had been about to say. Her motions resemble a puppet master, subtle to great affect, the doll not able to resist the strings.

  
Ozai is no different. His body contorted, hands being forced to the side as he was maneuvered back onto the throne.

  
An icicle made from Azula’s blood impales the Fire Lord’s left hand, Sokka using Zuko’s sword to trap the other. The man attempts to use his fire breath, but Katara forces his head upwards where the flames are harmless.

  
“Who…who are you?” Ozai demands, no less arrogant despite his position.

  
The younger removes her hood and mask.

  
“I am the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.”

  
Her voice is filled with dark venom, blue eyes hard and unforgiving.

  
Her brother silently revels himself as well.

  
“And I am the only Warrior of the Southern Water Tribe.”

  
His tone is even and deadly, glacial in his expression.

  
Ozai’s eyes go wide. “You-”

  
Another icicle impaled itself through the gut of the monarch, several smaller ones forming to join it. They went straight through the throne, coming out the back drenched in blood.

A heavy club slams into the side of Ozai’s head, once, twice, three times and he’s seeing stars.

The Fire lord tries to summon any flicker of a flame, but he is injured, and outmatched, and Sokka and Katara show him no more mercy than the Fire Nation ever showed them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all, hope you're having a good day
> 
> This was actually really fun to write, so i hope you all enjoyed it. This was one of my first times writing in omniscient third person, so it was an experience.
> 
> A bit of background for those who are interested.
> 
> In this AU, the Fire Nation decided to exterminate the Southern Water Tribe like they did the Air Nomads, only this time they captured as many Waterbenders as possible to find the Avatar so they knew when they would be reborn. Only the benders were being kept alive, so Katara pretends that Sokka is a Waterbender too, and they both get captured. After several years of imprisonment, Katara, like Hama learns blood bending and manages to escape with Sokka.
> 
> They end up running into Hama, and she proceeds to raise them as her own and trains Katara in Waterbending. As they are phytologically scarred and still young at this point, and Hama is insane, the two siblings end up getting heavily influenced by her, this of course helped by what the Fire Nation did to their home.
> 
> When Hama dies of old age, she leaves them with one last wish; that they kill the Fire Nation Royal family. Wanting to fullfill her wish and already being furious at the royals, Sokka and Katara infiltrate the palace and kill them.
> 
> In this universe, Zuko never gets banished, and Iroh dies in Ba Sing Se along with his son, so the only royal family that remains is Zuko, Azula, and Ozai.
> 
> For those wondering why Katara didn't just blood bend Azula like she did Ozai and easily win, it's because she and Sokka respected them enough to give them a fight. That's why they took one each individually. They hated Zuko and Azula, bur despite that, wanted there to be an actual fight.
> 
> But for Ozai, they did not.
> 
> He was too horrible to even deserve some semblance of a fight, and that's why Katara and Sokka refuse to give him one. They just slaughter him and leave him there for anyone to find. Because that kind of monster who pretends to be a god doesn't deserve the dignity of a fighting death. He was obsessed with power and strength, his throne a symbol of that, and so they killed him in his seat of power, and made him feel weak.
> 
> So yeah, i hope that satisfied your curiosity. I honestly do believe with the right pressure, Katara and Sokka could become this merciless. We saw a hint of that in the Southern Raiders episode where Katara nearly kills the man who killed her mother, and Sokka always struck me as efficient and the kind of person who knew what needed to get done. Add that together with a murderous parental figure and years of imprisonment and torture, along with the death of everyone they've ever known....yeah i'd say this was possible.
> 
> Contructive criticism is welcome, hate will be laughed at and the gay will be strong
> 
> Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye


End file.
